A Walk on the Beach: Tales of Wisdom from an Unconventional Woman

I am a little out of step with this one compared to others. Many who have reviewed this book appear to have read Joan Andersons other books and liked them. This was her first for me and I confess my reason for wanting to read this was to hear about Joan Erikson her rich and layered life. For me Joan Anderson gets in the way of a wonderful story and misses much, she drove me a little nuts (apologies if this offends). Joan Erikson on the other hand, wow just wow what a gem. I adored her quotes and quips, so much so that I have ordered The Complete Life cycle with the ninth stage included from the library. It is so cool that she embodies all that she has been and continued to be till the end. I wanted more of Joan and her story and less of Ms Anderson's needy wah wah. A little gratitude that she has a house in Cape Cod to run away to would have been nice. She kind of improved after she got over herself and climbed a mountain, but to be honest I am a little baffled why spending a year alone and going to Machu Pichu makes her a motivational speaker……..<br />

This is the third volume in a loose autobiographical trilogy about Anderson’s experiment with taking a break from her marriage and living alone in a Cape Cod cottage to figure out what she really wanted from the rest of her life. Specifically, this book is about the inspirational relationship she formed with Joan Erikson, who moved to the area in her eighties when her husband, the famous psychologist Erik Erikson, was admitted to a care home. Joanie was a thinker and author in her own right, publishing books on life’s stages, especially those of older age. She encouraged Anderson to have the confidence to write her own story, and to take up challenges like a trip to Peru and learning to weave on a loom. Joanie’s aphoristic advice is valuable, but there’s a fair bit of overlap between this book and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1493924252" rel="nofollow noopener">A Year by the Sea</a>, which I would recommend over this.<br /><br /><b>Some of Joan Erikson’s words of wisdom:</b><br /><br />“our devotion to our routines causes us to lose sight of each other as separate individuals.”<br /><br />“Doing something with your hands, rather than your head, is often the best route to clarity.”<br /><br />“It’s a weakness to just sit around and wait for a life to come to you.”<br /><br />“wisdom comes from life’s experiences well digested. Stop relying so much on your mind and get in touch with experience.”<br /><br />“Taking chances and risking routine are two important ingredients for keeping alive.”<br /><br />“The struggle is to try and obtain a sense of participation in your life the whole way through. We must treasure old age, but not wallow in nostalgia.”

Whereas "A Year By the Sea" was bearable, simply because Joan did have something to say about the process of rediscovering herself after years of giving her all to marriage and child-rearing and other responsibilities, in "A Walk On the Beach" she heads straight towards the cliche. The book is an attempt to record her special friendship with Joan Erikson, and what she learned from that friendship. But in her effort to distill Joan Erikson's "wisdom" into short, meaningful sound-bytes, she takes most of the meaning out. I got the feeling this book was written in a hurry, to augment the self-help "courses" she gives.

I picked this book up at a thrift store. The title drew me in- <i> A Walk on the Beach </i>.. why that is one of my favorite things to do! <br />This book is about Joan Anderson's encounter with a more famous Joan- Joan Erikson, the 90 something yr old widow of renowned psychoanalyst Erik Erikson. They meet at the beach and what follows is the story of their friendship, their meals together, their conversations. Some of it is interesting, inspiring even, while some other parts are a bit too over the top for my tastes. All the self actualization stuff, 'discovering oneself', blah blah.. Reminds me of a time back in the 70's when I had a miserable math professor who was into the EST movement and would come to class and preach about his realizations... instead of teaching math. I'm glad the book didn't cost much. Back to the thrift store it goes.

I rated this book 5 stars because of its strong focus on the author's friendship with a remarkable woman. The lessons and wisdom that Joan Erickson had to share from her long, productive, and inspirational life are the backbone of the story and I loved them. I also liked the author's description of her trip to Machu Picchu, which seemed like a culmination of her absorption of Joanie's life lessons. <br /><br />I think this is a great book for women, and particularly those who may be at a crossroads, whether it be with their marriage, their retirement, their empty-nest status, or some other life-changing event.

I was ready to not like this book and I had to push myself to get through the middle where I was getting pretty impatient with all the self-reflection but I guess the book is trying to teach us to slow down anyway so whether I liked it or not, it made me do this. In the end, I rated it 4 stars because I feel it finished strong and I did learn a few things. A few of the quotes I really liked included "In order not to fail in the end, you have to be dependent on yourself, and know that you can handle things, and most importantly, bring a little humor into the despair. Lightness, imagination, flexibility - these are the things that go into making a new start" (by Raicho Hiratsuka). Also - another by Robert Frost - "It's all about being lost enough to want to find yourself." And finally (by the author) - "A good life is like a weaving. Energy is created in the tension. The struggle, the pull and tug are everything." I know many of my Expat friends read this and I can see why they liked it. This quotes are very applicable to the Expat life (especially in the beginning) but I find them also to be great for those returning from an Expat assignment which I believe to be even harder. Thanks to my Amsterdam friends who suggested I read this even though it is very different from what I normally read.

I really enjoyed this book--not because the writing was stellar, but because of the subject of the book. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing really wrong with the style of writing, but that in itself would not have kept me really into the book. Joan Erikson, however, was such a fascinating and inspiring woman that I wanted to know more about her. I could somewhat relate to the authors feeling of being stuck, but I kind of ignored her and just looked to the example that Joan Erikson set.<br /><br />Joan talked about the stages of development that her husband Erik Erikson had developed and used the example of a weaving to illustrate one's life and the stages we have experienced. I looked at my own life and tried to see how I had gone through the different stages--this book really made me introspective. I came away inspired and wanting to really live life fully and completely.

This is probably one of my favorite non-fiction reads. I adore this book. I re-read this book often. I quote this book because so many lines holding meaning to me. I recommend this book equally as often. I was introduced to this book when I was a psychology student, this book offers wisdom that can be found by listening to those who are our elders and respecting the knowledge and life lessons they have to give. I truly do recommend reading it once because I think everyone can take some lesson away from this book, if not many.

Mediocre writing ....but it is about a great woman Joan Erikson (wife of Erik Erikson). Favorite quotes: "...remain as unfinished as the shoreline along the beach and that you continue to transform yourselves again and again" "Deep within every life, no matter how dull or ineffectual, something eternal is happening"

Many of the thoughts in this book are amazing and it's worth the read for insights. However, few of us have the luxury of escaping to Cape Cod and do nothing to rediscover ourselves for a year. That setting (though her lived experience) caused me to read the book with a skepticism that colored my reaction to the book on the whole.<br />